With commentary that would make any civil rights advocate cringe, Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness President and CEO Ralph DaCosta Nunez explained that three public policy implementations alienated the average American voter.

Neglect and inaction slew our loved ones. Mowed them down like lawn. But if Freddie Mercury is in his grave, so is Mayor Koch. May God rest their souls. Don't we wish them all back again, oh so ardently and with so many tears, don't we wish?

Most people will remember Ed Koch as a crusader for New York, but to me he will always be the person who saw a crisis, stood for his convictions and spoke out on behalf of refugees in a far away country because he knew it was right thing to do.

As we mourn the passing of larger-than-life mayor, Ed Koch, who loved New York City so much that he spent $20,000 to ensure he would be buried there and never have to leave, it's worth remembering his immigrant father, Leib (later Louis) Koch.

If Martians landed on our planet and demanded I teach them what a New Yorker is, I'd go no further than show them the hours and hours of videotape of Edward I. Koch jousting at press conferences in the 1980s.

At this very moment there are closeted gay politicians in Washington and across the country voting against gay rights in part to cover for themselves, driven by personal ambition. They are dangerous individuals.

All of New York City is in mourning today as we say goodbye to a great mayor, a great man and a great friend. Ed Koch dedicated his life to the five boroughs. He loved this city fiercely and it loved him back.

When you rob five young men of their youth, innocence and educational opportunity and put them and their families through hell for more than a decade, you owe them more than an apology -- you owe them restitution.

This is an extraordinary movie allegedly based on the Durst real estate family of New York. It's a bizarre story, and the acting of the principals, Kirsten Dunst, Ryan Gosling and Frank Langella, is terrific and, on occasion, terrifying.